<s>
Barbarian	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Ultimate	I-Application
Warrior	I-Application
is	O
a	O
1987	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Palace	O
Software	O
for	O
the	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
,	O
Commodore	O
64	O
,	O
and	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
ported	O
to	O
many	O
other	O
systems	O
and	O
was	O
licensed	O
to	O
Epyx	O
who	O
published	O
it	O
as	O
Death	B-Application
Sword	I-Application
in	O
the	O
United	O
States	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Barbarian	B-Application
is	O
a	O
fighting	O
game	O
that	O
gives	O
players	O
control	O
over	O
sword-wielding	O
barbarians	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Barbarian	B-Application
also	O
has	O
a	O
single-player	O
mode	O
,	O
in	O
which	O
the	O
player	O
's	O
barbarian	B-Application
braves	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
challenges	O
set	O
by	O
an	O
evil	O
wizard	O
to	O
rescue	O
a	O
princess	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
ensuing	O
controversy	O
boosted	O
Barbarians	B-Application
profile	O
,	O
helping	O
to	O
make	O
it	O
a	O
commercial	O
success	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
Palace	O
Software	O
's	O
critical	O
hit	O
;	O
boosted	O
by	O
Barbarians	B-Application
success	O
,	O
Palace	O
Software	O
expanded	O
its	O
operations	O
and	O
started	O
publishing	O
other	O
developers	O
 '	O
work	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
1988	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
released	O
a	O
sequel	O
,	O
Barbarian	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Dungeon	I-Application
of	I-Application
Drax	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Barbarian	B-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Ultimate	I-Application
Warrior	I-Application
is	O
a	O
fighting	O
game	O
that	O
supports	O
one	O
or	O
two	O
players	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Players	O
assume	O
the	O
roles	O
of	O
sword-wielding	O
barbarians	B-Application
,	O
who	O
battle	O
in	O
locales	O
such	O
as	O
a	O
forest	O
glade	O
and	O
a	O
"	O
fighting	O
pit	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Using	O
joysticks	B-Device
or	O
the	O
keyboard	O
,	O
players	O
move	O
their	O
characters	O
around	O
the	O
arena	O
,	O
jumping	O
to	O
dodge	O
low	O
blows	O
and	O
rolling	O
to	O
dodge	O
or	O
trip	O
the	O
opponent	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
By	O
holding	O
down	O
the	O
fire	O
button	O
and	O
moving	O
the	O
controller	O
,	O
players	O
direct	O
the	O
barbarians	B-Application
to	O
kick	O
,	O
headbutt	O
,	O
or	O
attack	O
with	O
their	O
swords	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
barbarian	B-Application
has	O
12life	O
points	O
,	O
which	O
are	O
represented	O
as	O
6circles	O
in	O
the	O
top	O
corners	O
of	O
the	O
interface	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
successful	O
attack	O
on	O
a	O
barbarian	B-Application
takes	O
away	O
one	O
of	O
his	O
life	O
points	O
(	O
half	O
a	O
circle	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Alternatively	O
,	O
a	O
well-timed	O
blow	O
to	O
the	O
neck	O
decapitates	O
the	O
barbarian	B-Application
,	O
killing	O
him	O
instantly	O
,	O
upon	O
which	O
a	O
goblin	O
enters	O
the	O
arena	O
,	O
kicks	O
the	O
head	O
,	O
and	O
drags	O
the	O
body	O
away	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
the	O
players	O
do	O
not	O
input	O
any	O
commands	O
for	O
a	O
time	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
attempts	O
a	O
self-referencing	O
action	O
to	O
draw	O
their	O
attentions	O
:	O
the	O
barbarians	B-Application
turn	O
to	O
face	O
the	O
players	O
,	O
shrug	O
their	O
shoulders	O
,	O
and	O
say	O
"	O
C'mon	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
single-player	O
story	O
mode	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
controls	O
a	O
nameless	O
barbarian	B-Application
who	O
is	O
on	O
a	O
quest	O
to	O
defeat	O
the	O
evil	O
wizard	O
Drax	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
protagonist	O
engages	O
each	O
of	O
the	O
other	O
barbarians	B-Application
in	O
a	O
fight	O
to	O
the	O
death	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
barbarian	B-Application
has	O
killed	O
Drax	O
,	O
Mariana	O
drops	O
herself	O
at	O
her	O
saviour	O
's	O
feet	O
and	O
the	O
screen	O
fades	O
to	O
black	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
thought	O
up	O
the	O
concept	O
of	O
pitting	O
a	O
broom-flying	O
witch	O
against	O
a	O
monster	O
pumpkin	O
,	O
and	O
created	O
Cauldron	B-Application
and	O
Cauldron	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Pumpkin	I-Application
Strikes	I-Application
Back	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Brown	O
based	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
its	O
characters	O
on	O
the	O
Conan	O
the	O
Barbarian	B-Application
series	O
,	O
having	O
read	O
all	O
of	O
Robert	O
E	O
.	O
Howard	O
's	O
stories	O
of	O
the	O
eponymous	O
warrior	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Brown	O
refused	O
to	O
follow	O
the	O
convention	O
of	O
using	O
small	O
sprites	O
to	O
represent	O
the	O
fighters	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
forcing	O
the	O
coders	O
to	O
conceive	O
a	O
method	O
to	O
animate	O
larger	O
blocks	O
of	O
graphics	O
:	O
Palace	O
Software	O
's	O
co-founder	O
Richard	O
Leinfellner	O
said	O
they	O
"	O
multiplexed	O
the	O
sprites	O
and	O
had	O
different	O
look-up	B-Data_Structure
tables	I-Data_Structure
for	O
different	O
frames.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
His	O
superiors	O
agreed	O
and	O
arranged	O
a	O
photo	O
shoot	O
,	O
hiring	O
models	O
Michael	O
Van	O
Wijk	O
and	O
Maria	O
Whittaker	O
to	O
pose	O
as	O
the	O
barbarian	B-Application
and	O
princess	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Just	O
before	O
release	O
,	O
the	O
company	O
discovered	O
that	O
fellow	O
developer	O
Psygnosis	O
was	O
producing	O
a	O
game	O
also	O
titled	O
Barbarian	B-Application
,	O
albeit	O
of	O
the	O
platform	O
genre	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Barbarian	B-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
1987	O
initially	O
for	O
the	O
Amstrad	B-Device
CPC	I-Device
,	O
Commodore	O
64	O
and	O
ZX	B-Operating_System
Spectrum	I-Operating_System
and	O
was	O
subsequently	O
ported	O
to	O
most	O
other	O
home	O
computers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
version	O
for	O
the	O
8-bit	O
is	O
mostly	O
monochromatic	O
,	O
displaying	O
the	O
outlines	O
of	O
the	O
barbarians	B-Application
against	O
single-colour	O
backgrounds	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
sounds	O
are	O
recorded	O
at	O
a	O
lower	B-Algorithm
sampling	I-Algorithm
rate	I-Algorithm
.	O
</s>
<s>
Conversely	O
,	O
the	O
version	O
for	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
,	O
which	O
has	O
16	O
-	O
and	O
32-bit	O
buses	B-General_Concept
,	O
presents	O
a	O
greater	O
variety	O
of	O
backgrounds	O
and	O
slightly	O
higher	O
quality	O
graphics	O
than	O
the	O
original	O
version	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Digitised	O
sound	O
samples	O
are	O
used	O
in	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
and	O
32-bit	O
Amiga	B-Device
versions	O
;	O
the	O
latter	O
also	O
features	O
digitised	O
speech	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
initial	O
releases	O
,	O
Barbarian	B-Application
was	O
re-released	O
several	O
times	O
;	O
budget	O
label	O
Kixx	O
published	O
these	O
versions	O
without	O
Whittaker	O
on	O
the	O
covers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Across	O
the	O
Atlantic	O
,	O
video	O
game	O
publisher	O
Epyx	O
acquired	O
the	O
license	O
to	O
Barbarian	B-Application
and	O
released	O
it	O
under	O
the	O
title	O
Death	B-Application
Sword	I-Application
as	O
part	O
of	O
their	O
"	O
Maxx	O
Out	O
!	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Barbarians	B-Application
advertisements	O
triggered	O
some	O
outcries	O
of	O
moral	O
indignity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Electron	O
User	O
reported	O
that	O
another	O
magazine	O
had	O
refused	O
to	O
publish	O
Superior	B-Device
Software	I-Device
's	O
advert	O
for	O
its	O
licensed	O
BBC	B-Device
Micro	I-Device
and	O
Acorn	B-Device
Electron	I-Device
ports	O
unless	O
parts	O
of	O
the	O
image	O
were	O
covered	O
up	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Conversely	O
,	O
Barbarian	B-Application
was	O
banned	O
in	O
Germany	O
by	O
the	O
Bundesprüfstelle	O
für	O
jugendgefährdende	O
Medien	O
for	O
its	O
violent	O
content	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
were	O
impressed	O
with	O
Barbarians	B-Application
gory	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Zzap	O
!	O
64s	O
Steve	O
Jarratt	O
appreciated	O
the	O
"	O
fast	O
and	O
furious	O
"	O
action	O
and	O
his	O
colleague	O
Ciaran	O
Brennan	O
said	O
Barbarian	B-Application
should	O
have	O
been	O
the	O
licensed	B-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
to	O
the	O
fantasy	O
action	O
film	O
Highlander	B-Application
(	O
which	O
had	O
a	O
lot	O
of	O
sword	O
fights	O
and	O
decapitations	O
)	O
instead	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Amiga	B-Device
Computings	O
Brian	O
Chappell	O
enjoyed	O
"	O
hacking	O
the	O
foe	O
to	O
bits	O
,	O
especially	O
when	O
a	O
well	O
aimed	O
blow	O
decapitates	O
him.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
shocked	O
at	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
violence	O
,	O
Antics	O
reviewer	O
said	O
the	O
"	O
sword	O
fight	O
game	O
is	O
the	O
best	O
available	O
on	O
the	O
ST.	O
"	O
According	O
to	O
Jarratt	O
,	O
Barbarian	B-Application
represented	O
"	O
new	O
heights	O
in	O
bloodsports	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Equally	O
pleasing	O
to	O
the	O
reviewers	O
at	O
Zzap	O
!	O
64	O
and	O
Amiga	B-Device
User	O
Internationals	O
Tony	O
Horgan	O
was	O
the	O
simplicity	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
;	O
they	O
observed	O
that	O
almost	O
anyone	O
could	O
quickly	O
familiarise	O
themselves	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
mechanics	O
,	O
making	O
the	O
two-player	O
mode	O
a	O
fun	O
and	O
quick	O
pastime	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Although	O
the	O
barbarian	B-Application
characters	O
use	O
the	O
same	O
basic	O
blocky	O
sprites	O
,	O
they	O
impressed	O
reviewers	O
at	O
Zzap	O
!	O
64	O
and	O
Amiga	B-Device
Computing	O
with	O
their	O
smooth	O
animation	O
and	O
lifelike	O
movements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
of	O
the	O
Amiga	B-Device
version	O
,	O
however	O
,	O
expressed	O
disappointment	O
with	O
the	O
port	O
for	O
failing	O
to	O
exploit	O
the	O
computer	O
's	O
greater	O
graphics	O
capability	O
and	O
implement	O
more	O
detailed	O
character	O
sprites	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Advanced	O
Computer	O
Entertainments	O
reviewers	O
had	O
similar	O
thoughts	O
over	O
the	O
Atari	B-Device
ST	I-Device
port	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
actions	O
of	O
the	O
barbarian	B-Application
also	O
impressed	O
them	O
to	O
nominate	O
him	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
their	O
top	O
50characters	O
from	O
the	O
early	O
three	O
decades	O
of	O
video	O
gaming	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Your	O
Sinclair	O
,	O
awarding	O
the	O
game	O
7/10	O
,	O
complained	O
it	O
was	O
too	O
similar	O
to	O
previous	O
games	O
like	O
The	B-Application
Way	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Exploding	I-Application
Fist	I-Application
and	O
Ninja	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Leinfellner	O
,	O
the	O
controversy	O
did	O
not	O
negatively	O
affect	O
Barbarian	B-Application
,	O
but	O
boosted	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
sales	O
and	O
profile	O
tremendously	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
proved	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
big	O
hit	O
,	O
reaching	O
the	O
top	O
of	O
the	O
all-format	O
charts	O
in	O
1987	O
and	O
number	O
one	O
in	O
the	O
Acorn	B-Device
Electron	I-Device
chart	O
in	O
1988	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Barbarian	B-Application
II	I-Application
:	I-Application
The	I-Application
Dungeon	I-Application
of	I-Application
Drax	I-Application
was	O
released	O
in	O
1988	O
,	O
and	O
Barbarian	B-Application
III	O
was	O
in	O
the	O
works	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
the	O
success	O
with	O
Barbarian	B-Application
,	O
Palace	O
Software	O
began	O
to	O
expand	O
its	O
portfolio	O
by	O
publishing	O
games	O
that	O
were	O
created	O
by	O
other	O
developers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Barbarian	B-Application
,	O
however	O
,	O
remained	O
its	O
most	O
popular	O
game	O
,	O
best	O
remembered	O
for	O
its	O
violent	O
sword	O
fights	O
and	O
Maria	O
Whittaker	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
2011	O
,	O
Anuman	O
Interactive	O
(	O
French	O
publisher	O
)	O
launched	O
a	O
remake	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
adapted	O
to	O
mobile	O
devices	O
and	O
computers	O
:	O
Barbarian	B-Application
–	O
The	O
Death	B-Application
Sword	I-Application
.	O
</s>
